Duesenberg Convertible Cars: a Brief History

North American historians share the opinion that Duesenberg cars are the most beautiful cars ever produced in the United States. Although the brand existed just 16 years, remaining independent for only the first five years, its models were excellent. This article tells about the emergence of the brands and its best models of convertible cars. You can choose various car models at enterprise car rental Colorado springs airport.

Emergence
of the brand

These cars have become eternal
classic patterns. The history of the company is linked to Frederick Samuel
Duesenberg. He was born in 1876 in Germany, came to the United States as a
child and considered Iowa State as his birthplace. He began with the
manufacture of bicycles and participation in bicycle racing. Together with his
brother August, he created cars for the Mason company, and then for the Maytag
Company. After that, he started designing the engines of racing cars.

The authority of Duisenberg grew
after the First World War, largely due to the fact that the car with its engine
set the absolute speed record on land in 1919, and in 1921 its racing car won
the first post-war French Grand Prix. In the 20th, Duesenberg cars
won the 500-mile race in Indianapolis three times.

After resounding victories, the
brothers decided to produce expensive road cars, founding Duesenberg Motor Company
in Indianapolis. The debut model “A” (1921) was priced at 6.5
thousand dollars – the first American production car with a straight eight. The
brothers were not successful businesspersons and after the company managed to
produce about 500 cars, Errett Cord purchased the company.

The new owner intended to release a
prestigious model and connected Duesenberg to his Lycoming, Auburn, Cord and
Checker companies. He sanctioned the appearance of the “J” model with
an 8-cylinder Duesenberg engine production Lycoming. The last period of the
brand was described as the result of Cord’s money and Duesenberg’s creativity.
Soon, followed by a more complex and expensive SJ model, but due to the
economic crisis, the demand for cars was very sluggish.

In 1933, after the death of Fred Duesenberg,
his brother became the chief engineer of the company. He immediately began to
modernize the J model, equipping it with one of the most powerful engines of
the 30s – it was an eight-cylinder engine with 400 horsepower. However, just 4
years later, the company stopped the production of expensive “Duesenberg”.

These are the most famous models of
Duesenberg convertible cars:

Duesenberg SJ
La Grande Phaeton (1932)

The four-door phaeton was equipped at
once with two windshields – on the first and second rows. In addition, for the
30s, it was a real ‘hypercar’, because it allowed reaching 220 km/h.

Duesenberg SJ Speedster
(1935)

Designed specifically for setting the
speed records, this car, commonly known as the Mormon Meteor, was a masterpiece
in every way, from performance to design. It proudly bore the name of David
Abbott Jenkins on its side, right in front of the driver’s cab. “Ab”
Jenkins was a professional racer, as well as the mayor of Salt Lake City at
1940th. Jenkins’s interest in motor racing began with motorcycle racing on
country roads and rough terrain. Then he became interested in land speed records.
He played a large role in creating Bonneville as a venue for such events, and
in attracting foreign drivers to it. SJ Speedster was the favorite car of the
professional racer.

In 2000th, the car was a
participant in the Elegance Competition and won it on five occasions, beating
Aston Martin, Auburn and Cord brands. In 2007, Mormon Meteor won the highest
awards again, as it was recognized as the best at the exhibition.

Duesenberg SSJ (1935)

The company has released two special
SSJ models with a short (3.17 meter) base and sports bodies. Two short chassis
with a base of 3200 mm and a motor power up to 400 liters were made as well.
The carburetor manifold had two sections, each of which was divided into two
more sections. The car body was made by a subsidiary of the Auburn. The spare
wheel was located behind, outside of the body. American movie stars Gary Cooper
and Clark Gable bought these cars.

The company has released two special SSJ models with a short (3.17 meter) base and sports bodies. Two short chassis with a base of 3200 mm and a motor power up to 400 liters were made as well. The carburetor manifold had two sections, each of which was divided into two more sections. The car body was made by a subsidiary of the Auburn. The spare wheel was located behind, outside of the body. American movie stars Gary Cooper and Clark Gable bought these cars.

Origins

In 1913 was founded the American Duesenberg
company. However, the history of the brand began much earlier, when Fred
Duesenberg made his first sports car and offered his brother to devote his life
to the developing direction. Therefore, Oji Duesenberg became the head of the
auto company, turning down the offer of work at Coca Cola, and Fred Duesenberg
headed the design department. The brothers always tried to think outside the
box, so it was decided to independently produce all the components of their
future cars, including powertrains, which was a real challenge for small
beginner brands in those years. Nevertheless, Duesenberg convertible cars are
still some of the best and most beautiful in the world.